


A Sentinel meets a Guide

by Phantoms_Echo



Series: Sentinel&Guide Universe [5]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Conan figures out who KID is, Conan needs hugs, Guide!Kaito, KID Car, Kaishin sleepover!, M/M, No Smut, Non-Recreational Drug Use, Sentinel Senses, Sentinel!Conan, Sentinel/Guide, Something tells me that's how he'd do it in canon too, by his smell, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-22 17:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11972265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: Conan finds the Black Organization in the place he least expected. Now, he must rely on a person he knows nothing about to keep him, his friends and his family safe.Kaito just wants to try out this Guiding thing that Hakuba keeps talking about.(Also know as 'Conan has a sleep-over at Kaito's house!')





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magica Kaito 1412, only the events in this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> PS- so remember how I thought I wouldn't be updating this quite yet? Yeah, apparently I had more stuff than I realized. The next chapter will probably come out on Monday, but the others will follow quickly after that.
> 
> Also, more Kaishin!

Hakuba looked bad, like _bad_ bad. He looked a little like those corpses he worked with, pale and stiff. Kaito wondered if he was sick, but that didn’t seem right.

Hakuba never got sick.

“Yo, Hakuba…” Kaito frowned, reluctant to worry about the detective, but the blonde was one of _his_ detectives. He needed to make sure all of his detectives were okay. “You don’t look so good… If you’re sick, you should have stayed home. Save the rest of us from the germs.”

“Thank you for your… concern...” Hakuba said the word as if he wasn’t sure it was the one he was looking for. The blonde Guide shook his head. “...ut I am fine. I merely have a headache, a remnant of an encounter with a Sentinel I met with yesterday.”

“Sentinel?” Kaito frowned. “Why do you have a headache?”

“It’s…” Hakuba paused, thinking his words over. “The sentinel was mid-Rage when I tried to Guide him to stop.”

“So it was mental backlash or something?” Kaito guessed.

“Hardly.” Hakuba winced and put a hand to his temple. “While the Sentinel’s thoughts were indeed chaotic, his actual mind was… peaceful is the apt word, strange as it is. To me, it felt like slipping into a soundproof room. I didn’t realize just how _loud_ the world is until I wasn’t in it anymore. Coming back to it is… intense. Headache inducing.”

“I’m… not sure I understand,” Kaito said slowly. That feeling… did _not_ match his experience with Tantei-kun.

“Perhaps you have never Guided?” Hakuba guessed, but didn’t allow time for Kaito to protest. “There are two ways of Guiding: the mental bridge and the mental immersion. The first is like a handshake, keeping both minds separate. The second is like the name implies. It is the difference between looking into a box and climbing into one.”

Kaito… kind of understood. He had just _looked_ into Tantei-kun’s mind, not actually thrown _himself_ in there. Probably for the best. Kaito didn’t want to mess up being a Guide so early.

“The second is much more effective, often used when Sentinels aren’t responding to the first method, but” -Hakuba massaged the bridge of his nose, leading to his forehead- “there are some side effects. A pre-bond being one of them."

Kaito froze. “Pre-bond?”

“Yes,” Hakuba eyed him. “You know about bonding, correct?”

“I know it’s _done_ ,” Kaito answered. “But I never looked into it.”

“There are two stages: pre-bond and full bond,” Hakuba explained. “Pre-bond, the Guide immerses themselves in the Sentinel, knowing their mind as much as their own. Full bond, the Sentinel does the same, immersing their senses in their Guide. The most well-known way is sex, but other methods are available.”

Kaito choked. Did… did this mean Hakuba was going to…?

“Pre-bonds, if left alone over time and distance, will fade. The headache, in the meantime, is my body adjusting to it and the distance between my… the Sentinel I helped.” Hakuba blinked, his eyes nearly pulling shut of their own accord. “I suspect, after a few days, I shall be fine. My brain just needs to cleanse itself of the ordeal."

Kaito bit his lip, but withheld any more questions. It looked like Hakuba belonged in the nurse’s office rather than class. Questioning him more might make the headache worse. At least until his mind had cleaned up.

Speaking of clean, Kaito had to pick up his suit from the dry cleaners. He wondered if he could get away with using the KID Car for errands as long as he changed the license plate…

*             *             *             *             *

Conan desperately held his breath as he walked past a smoker hangout. Despite his effort, the smoke still burned in his nostrils, carrying trails of tobacco, ash, and whatever was on the fingers of the smokers.

“How are you holding up?” Haibara asked quietly so as to not be overheard by the other Shounen Tantei.

Conan scowled at her, refusing to release his breath until they’d passed the smokers.

“Don’t look at me, it’s not my fault,” Haibara shrugged. “ _You_ are the one that mixed up your Senes-4 and -5.”

Conan let out his breath as they passed an ice cream shop, sugar and waffle mix tickling his nose. It… wasn’t great, but it was better than the smokers.

“It’s not like I did it on _purpose_ ,” Conan hissed, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the scents around him. “They look too similar! I thought I had the right one!”

“And now your sense of smell is off the charts,” Haibara noted. “How is that, by the way?”

 _Horrible,_ he wanted to say _. Especially at an elementary school._

He didn’t need to know that Genta regularly forgot to wash his hands after using the restroom. He didn’t need to know that Kobayashi-sensei had Shiratori-keiji’s cologne on her this morning. He most _certainly_ did _not_ need to know all the smells of the various gunks and slimes that first-graders seemed to find at every turn.

Today was just not his day.

“Conan!” Ayumi called from up ahead. “The bookstore!”

“Maybe they have the latest detective novel!” Mitsuhiko commented excitedly.

“Or new snacks!” Genta added enthusiastically.

Conan smiled indulgently as he followed along behind. Half of him really wanted to get home, to a place where the scents were, if not _pleasant_ , then at least familiar. The other half of him knew that he’d flaked so many times on the kids already. If he kept it up, they were bound to get suspicious.

Unfortunately, their problem-solving skills had skyrocketed while being around him. There was an actual chance that they could figure out his status with enough clues put together, not counting Haibara tattling on him (it was fifty-fifty if she would).

So instead of heading home to get a much needed respite, he followed the kids from school to the book store. If nothing else, he’d get a new book to read at home. Nothing spelled a good evening in to him quite like a new mystery novel.

So thinking, Conan followed the trio right up to the point that Haibara grabbed onto his sleeve. He looked over to question her, but stiffened at the pale look on her face.

Them? Here? _Now_?!

And then he smelled it –gun powder, gasoline, and a prevalent air of _death_.

“Haibara,” Conan called quietly, trying not to draw attention from the kids. His eyes traced over from the bookstore to an alley they had to cross before it. Haibara moved to his other side, kept her head down. Once they passed the mouth, he pushed her towards Mitsuhiko. “Take them. Go into the store. Pick up kids’ books and other childish items. Keep your hood up. I’ll check it out. If it’s them, I’ll lead them away.”

“But-!”

“You’ll be fine,” Conan swore deeply. “I won’t let them know you were here. Keep track of the kids.”

Haibara opened her mouth to protest, but a look made her teeth shut with a click. Instead, she nodded and hurried to join up with the kids, using them as camouflage. Once they had safely made it into the bookstore, Conan looked back at the alley.

If it _was_ them, they wouldn’t be looking for Haibara. They would be in the area for a different reason, but what?

… The Mouri Agency was only a few blocks over. They couldn’t be… could they?

Shaking himself, Conan stubbornly told himself that couldn’t be. He’d dispelled their suspicions after the incident with the FBI. Haibara was probably just feeling things that weren’t there.

But then his nose had never led him wrong before.

Silent as the wind, he crept down the deserted alley. Around dumpsters, over boxes and empty tin cans, slowly, he made his way down, keeping his ears open for anything suspicious. The alley led to a small intersection, large enough for one car only. The other side of his alley was empty, as was the end down to his right, but to his left… Conan gasped. That car, Porsche 356A, fake license plate –there was no doubt about it.

That was Gin’s car.

Conan shrank back against the corner of the building, back pressed to cold stone. He needed to find out why they were here, so close to the Mouri detective agency. He needed to-!

A chill went up his spine at the sound of footsteps.

He peered around the corner to see Vodka exit from a building and climb into the driver’s seat of the Porsche. If Vodka was there, where was…?

A sense of déjà vu had him turning to look down the alley he was hiding in…

To see Gin raising a rusty metal bar over his head.

The metal met concrete, clang echoing down the alley, but Conan was already on the move. Racing down the one-car street, he thanked his luck that the Porsche was facing the opposite way. Gin and Vodka would have to drive out and pull a U-turn or follow him on foot. Hopefully, it would discourage them from chasing him.

The sound of footsteps echoing after him shot down that hope.

Instinct told him to look back, to see his pursuers, but he staunchly refused. That would lose him precious time, especially if he tripped over something he didn’t see coming. His heart thudded in his ears, nearly drowning out the sound of those footsteps as he scrambled to find a way out.

That’s when it hit him.

That smell –warm cocoa, chemical smoke, and sheer _moonlight_ –that smell was good. That smell was safe.

That smell was _close_.

Cutting a sharp right, Conan nearly stumbled when he came across a pure white car and the teen climbing inside. It was a foreign model, driver on the left side, passenger on the right. The license plate was also fake, a clover where the district should have been. It was obvious who it belonged to.

He wouldn’t want to help Conan.

Conan had no choice.

He sprinted over, hands grasping onto the handle of the passenger door. His body rebounded with the force of his pull – _the door was locked_.

Seconds ticking down, he slammed his hands against the window, banging for attention. The slide of a window nearly made him sink to his knees in relief.

“Unlock the door!” he demanded before the window finished rolling down.

“Excuse me? Kid, where are your-?”

Conan didn’t have time for this. “If you don’t open the door, _right now_ , I’ll tell everyone you’re KID!” he threatened, glaring over at indigo eyes.

“You can’t prove it,” the teen said, eyes going hard. The engine revved. He was going to leave Conan there.

Conan bit his lip, looking back down the alley where he’d entered. Were his eyes playing with him? Or was that a glint of silver in the darkness?

Desperate, Conan turned back, begging, “Please!”

A scuff, nearly silent under the running engine, made Conan look back, eyes searching for the dark figures that stalked the shadows. So intent was he in his search that he nearly missed the click of the locks.

“ _Get in_.” The voice ordered. Conan didn’t hesitate to obey.

Yanking the door open, he scrambled up into the seat. The door hung open as the car peeled out of the alley. Just before they turned the corner, Conan managed to drag it closed, slamming it shut. Turning around in his seat, Conan hauled himself over the shoulder of the seatback. As fast as the car was going, the two figures stepping from the alley were already blurring.

Conan didn’t need to see to observe.

“The license plate is fake, right?” Conan demanded, keeping the figures in his sight until he couldn’t anymore. “How often do you drive this car?”

“First time in eight years, for sure,” KID replied, voice tight. “I guess I won’t be driving it again anytime soon.”

Sighing in shaky relief, Conan twisted back in his seat and pulled his seat belt on.

“Who were those guys?” Kid asked –no, demanded. The tone of his voice brooked no shenanigans, a first in all their interactions.

“I…” Conan dug his fingernails into his jeans. “I can’t tell you.”

“Bullsh-!”

“The less you know, the safer you are,” Conan cut him off. “I wouldn’t have gotten you involved _at all_ if I didn’t have to.”

“Then why did you?” KID asked. “You’re Tantei-kun. I’m sure you could have escaped if they caught you.”

“If they caught me, I’d be dead,” Conan replied, gaze trained on his knees. He heard the sharp intake of breath from the other and bit his lip. The abused flesh was becoming tender.

“Where do you live?” the teen finally asked.

“I can’t go home,” Conan said, moving his gaze to look out the window. He tried very hard to not see the reflection staring back at him with indigo eyes. “If they are following me, they’ll follow me back to my house. Ran… they’d kill her.”

“So you want me to take you to _my_ house?” the Guide sounded indignant.

“Drop me off at the train station if you feel that strongly,” Conan said bitterly. “I’ve got enough money to go the circuit a few times.”

“And leave you, a _six-year-old boy_ , to defend yourself against them?”

The reminder of his situation burned. Conan rubbed at his chest where his heart ached. The other teen sighed heavily. “You make this way too tough, Tantei-kun.”

 _Trust me_ , Conan thought, _if I could make it any easier, I would_.

“I’ll take you to my house,” the teen started, “but you _owe me_. You can’t go turning me in as KID for this.”

Conan… hadn’t been planning to, surprisingly. It didn’t feel… _right_ to do so outside of a heist. He wasn’t about to tell KID that, though. Instead, he hummed his agreement and fell silent as the strange teen drove them through Tokyo and over into the Ekoda district.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> PS- okay, that's my second update down. Can I get one more before I hit the hay?

“Close your eyes,” KID ordered.

Conan stiffened where he was looking out the passenger side window.

“I’m going into the secret entrance to park the car,” KID explained. “I don’t want you seeing it.”

And, well, that was fair.

Conan closed his eyes and turned his face forward, so that KID could see that he’d obeyed. The entire drive had been silent: no questions from KID and no offered answers from Conan. In fact, Conan had done his best to not _look_ at the teen other than those first few seconds of their interactions. He knew he’d have to look some time –he couldn’t go the entire time not looking at his savior, but…

He felt like it was cheating.

The red gleam of his eyelids went dark as they entered an enclosure of some sort. The sounds of the engine roared against close quarters. Instinctively, Conan strained his senses to get a better feel of his surroundings, but it was fruitless. Only his nose was able to pick up more than the basics and even then, it was filled with _warm cocoa, chemical smoke, and moonlight_.

KID’s scent, now that he knew.

 _Safe_ , his instincts had told him –and yes, KID was safe, for the most part. He was a criminal, but he’d never hurt any of his taskforce or any of the detectives chasing him. The worst someone had was dyed hair that washed out a week later.

But _why_ had his instincts driven him to seek out KID in his time of need? Why had they picked up that scent so well when everything else had been overwhelming? Why did he _remember it_ so well?

Conan jolted when the engine cut off.

“Keep your eyes closed,” KID ordered when Conan started to open them. Annoyed, Conan obeyed. Hadn’t he promised KID that he wouldn’t try to turn him in? He should be able to trust Conan to keep his word!

Conan trusted KID after all, even if he didn’t know why.

“I’m going to get out and you’re going to stay,” KID said. “I’ll come around and get you out. There is dangerous stuff in here, so I won’t put you down until we get out. Keep your eyes closed.”

Conan _highly doubted_ there was _anything_ dangerous in anything KID owned. The… garage? ...they were in was most likely connected to a secret headquarters or something of the like, where KID kept his gadgets and costumes and other incriminating evidence. If Conan saw it and where it was in relation to the rest of KID’s house, it would be the nail in the coffin for the international thief. His suspicion was backed by KID’s repeated order to keep his eyes closed.

If he didn’t see it, it didn’t exist.

Conan remained still as he heard the driver side door open and close, the thud echoing slightly in the rest of the room. For the few brief moments afterwards, Conan felt the irrational fear of being _left_ there, locked away until KID chose to deal with him, thrum in his veins. In the next instant, though, the door on his side was opening and a hand reached over him to unbuckle his seat belt.

Conan had never liked being picked up –not by Mouri, not by Ran, not by his own mother. He’d grown out of it during his first childhood, but everyone seemed to think it was their right to pick him up and bodily move him whenever they wished. So when KID did the same, he couldn’t help a brief flicker of irritation.

“I know,” KID muttered, a laugh in his voice as he held Conan close to close the door. “Big, strong Tantei-kun, don’t need no person to carry him.”

Conan forgot. KID was a Guide.

He staunchly _did not_ think of his second childhood.

Instead, he shoved his face into KID’s shoulder, trying to quell the urge to look around and _see_ what he dubbed the ‘KID Cave’ in his head.

“Hmm… nice name. Like the Bat Cave,” KID noted. “I like it!”

Conan tried to ignore the pleased feeling in his chest.

“You know, I’m used to you talking a lot more, Tantei-kun,” KID said as Conan felt their movement shift. KID’s knees were going higher, his torso leaning forward more. _Stairs_ , Conan decided as KID continued to speak. “Our rooftop banter is always the highlight of my heists, you know. More so than gaining the upper hand on Nakamori-keibu again.”

“It’s not always the roof top,” Conan muttered. With his eyes closed, it felt weird to talk, to hear his own voice. His instincts told him to be quiet, to listen for what he could not see -but with KID there, no danger should be able to sneak up on them.

His instincts didn’t agree with him.

“Ah, right!” KID said thoughtfully. “Sometimes it’s at a window or down in the garage, right? Or that one time when we were in the electrical room of the ship. That was a hard heist to get back from, since I couldn’t use my hang glider.”

Conan frowned. Why would it be hard? He could always steal a life boat. In fact, if Conan remembered correctly, the number of life boats was down by one at the end of the heist. Surely that was KID?

The sound of a mechanical whirring interrupted his thoughts.

“We’re out,” KID announced. “You can open your eyes.”

Light of any kind was harsh after keeping his eyes closed so long. Blinking rapidly, Conan squinted as he looked around, trying to place his new settings. It looked average enough. A single bed, a medium-sized desk with a laptop, a closet with spare uniforms and some everyday clothing –it was a typical teenage boy’s room. It even looked similar to Shinichi’s room.

However, that’s where the similarities stopped.

Instead of books taking up every flat surface, there was a variety of card, flowers and mechanical bits strewn about. It was almost as if KID had left in the middle of planning his latest heist.

Behind them was a life-sized poster of Kuroba Toichi, his mother’s disguise teacher. Conan vaguely remembered going to the funeral and his mother crying, but it was distant and hazy. From what he remembered though, Kuroba was a very _good_ magician –he might even be KID’s idol, come to think of it.

“Down you go,” KID said, leaning to set Conan on his feet. At least he hadn’t continued to carry Conan around when he didn’t need to anymore. KID had an advantage over the others in that respect.

KID himself was… a shock to Conan. His hair was messy in a way that said the teen didn’t even _try_ to brush it most days. His eyes were blue – _no, darker, indigo?_ –and bright with his KID grin firmly in place. Other than those two main differences, KID looked exactly like…

Conan stopped himself.

He couldn’t think that here.

“Now… what?” KID wondered aloud as he looked around the room. “You’ll have to excuse me, Tantei-kun. I never thought I’d be in this situation with one of my detectives.”

“Yeah, well, that makes two of us.” Conan shrugged as he continued to look around, trying not to think of how similar KID looked to… “I only need to stay a few hours, be sure they aren’t tailing me and they aren’t tailing you. Then I can walk home.”

“You’re staying the night,” KID said firmly. “A few hours from now, it will be dark. I can’t allow you to walk home alone in the dark with a good conscience. I’ll take you back in the morning.”

Conan wanted to protest. He wasn’t an _actual_ child. He could take care of himself!

But the thought of going down those dark streets when he’d already dodged death once today… he didn’t want to press his luck.

“I’ll give Ran-nee-chan a call,” he said as he opened his phone. “I’ll tell her I’m at Agasa’s house.”

“That’s a good idea.” KID nodded. “You don’t want to worry your sister.”

Conan winced at the word ‘sister,’ but kept his head down. Of course it would look like that.

“I’ll go to the kitchen and see what I can dish up.” KID left before Conan could agree. The thief seemed nervous, though there was good reason. It was… weird to see him be anything but carefree and flippant.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

Ran picked up on the second ring. “ _Conan-kun? Where are you?_ ”

“I’m at Agasa-san’s house!” Conan replied, as chipper as he could. “Since it’s Friday, can I stay the night? The others all decided we would watch movies tonight!”

“ _Well, I guess that’s okay._ ” Ran sounded concerned. _“But what about your medication?_ ”

Conan’s stomach dropped out his feet.

His medication.

Senes-5.

He didn’t have any on him.

He… could probably make it through the night, but the next morning…

“I have some with me,” Conan lied, forcing himself to sound normal. “I thought it would be good to keep a spare dose on me, just in case.”

Not so much a lie. He would _always_ keep a spare dose after today. He did _not_ like getting caught unaware like this, especially not when he could go into a…

“ _Oh! Okay!_ ” Ran sounded relieved, like she had been truly worried Conan had forgotten. “ _Well then, have fun with-!_ ”

“KAAAAAIIIIIITOOOOOO!” A shriek rang throughout the entire house.

 _Shit!_ Conan covered his ears, hoping he hadn’t gone deaf from that.

“ _Conan-kun?_ ” Ran’s tone turned worried again. “ _Are you okay? What was that?_ ”

“Th-that was… um… the TV!” Conan laughed nervously. “Genta-kun turned the volume up too loud! It’s okay, Agasa told him to turn it-!”

“BAKAITO! YOU WORRIED AOKO!”

“ _Conan-kun, are you sure you’re okay?_ ”

“I’m fine!” Conan waved his hands frantically. “The movie’s about to start! Gotta go bye!”

“ _Conan-!_ ”

Conan hung up.

“AHOKO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! BARGING IN ON MY HOUSE LIKE THAT?!”

“DOESN’T BAKAITO REMEMBER? AOKO HAS A KEY!”

If Ran asks, I’m at your house. Conan texted to Agasa and Haibara both. He didn’t bother to wait for an answer, instead pocketing his phone and going to look for the source of the yells.

“I GAVE YOU THAT KEY FOR _EMERGENCIES_!”

“AOKO DIDN’T KNOW WHERE YOU WENT AFTER SCHOOL!”

“I HAD AN ERRAND! _ERRAND_! ARE YOU JUST GOING TO COME AFTER ME EVERY TIME YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE I AM?!”

 _“MAYBE AOKO WILL!_ IF IT WILL GET KAITO TO TALK TO HER AGAIN!”

Conan paused at the top of the stairs, full of trepidation. If he were to walk in on that, he’d be walking in on KID’s _life_. He’d learn things about Kaitou KID he would never be able to unlearn. He’d know the person most important in KID’s life –to the point she had a key to his house and could come and go as she pleased. If Conan went down there, there would be no going back.

The choice was made for him.

The girl at the bottom of the stairs –hair cut in a different style and eyes just a little lighter than normal _but so similar to Ran_ –looked up when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Conan got a brief moment to panic as she squealed and then found himself hoisted up high for the second time that day.

“He’s so _cute~!_ ” The girl -Aoko she’d called herself -cooed as she spun the two of them around. Conan squirmed in her hold, wanting to be put down before he was _dropped_. Instead, she hugged him close, mashing her cheek to his. “And who are you? Related to Bakaito? Aoko hopes not! Then you’d be a magic nerd like Kaito!”

“Ahoko!” KID replied faux-angrily. “He’s just some kid my mom wanted me to watch. Friend of the family, y’know? I had to leave early to pick him up!”

“Ah! So that’s why Kaito left in a hurry!” Aoko held Conan up again. He was really starting to get sick of this. She smiled brightly at him and it was so similar – _so similar to Ran_ –that he couldn’t help but smile back _despite_ how much it hurt.

“Exactly!” KID – _Kaito_ , and wasn’t that just ironic? –agreed as he took a seat at the table. “Now would you put him down? He looks like he’s about to hurl.”

“Oh!” Aoko hurried to set Conan down. His head spun a little, but he found his footing easily enough. “Aoko’s sorry! She just got a little excited!”

“I-it’s fine,” Conan said with a nervous smile. She blinked at him, blue eyes staring at him intently. That look… it made him want to curl in on himself. It’s that same look Ran got every time she-!

“You’re the KID Killer!” Aoko clapped her hands together, face bright with realization. “Aoko’s heard so much about you from Daddy!”

…What?

“Daddy isn’t always happy when you come to help out, but Aoko’s happy because it means KID stands less of a chance of getting away!” Aoko explained. “Once KID is caught, Daddy won’t have to work as hard!”

Conan felt his stomach drop for the second time that day.

It couldn’t be. Aoko couldn’t be… that person’s daughter. KID could _not_ be playing with her so fast and loose, but the evidence-!

One way to find out.

“I’m Edogawa Conan!” Conan said brightly, _childishly_ , offering a hand. “Nice to meet you!”

“Oh, and so polite!” Aoko squealed again. “Nakamori Aoko! Nice to meet you too, Conan-kun.”

Even as they shook hands, Conan felt his mood sour. He struggled not to let it show, but…

Kaitou KID was friends, _good_ friends, with Nakamori Aoko, daughter of Nakamori Ginzou, _head inspector on Kaitou KID’s case_. Either KID was playing with fire, staying so close to the inspector in his civilian life…

Or Nakamori truly had no idea KID was using him to get intel pre-heist.

Conan wanted to say. He wanted to point out that KID was _right there_ , but…

KID glared at him from behind Nakamori-san’s back.

That’s right, Conan had promised.

So he kept his mouth shut, and smiled at the oblivious girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need to rant a little. Everyone's had that story before that they are really excited to see update, right? But then you keep waiting and waiting and *waiting* and it never gets updated? 
> 
> I'm in a situation like that. The author said they'd get it updated a couple weeks ago and was on a really good updating schedule, but then... it just stopped? It was the last chapter and had a really good cliffhanger, but now I don't know how it ends! I want to know!
> 
> The fic is called "All In" for those who are curious. Good Soulmate AU story. Definitely on my recommend list!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> PS -sorry for the fluff chapter. Not much action, but I'm trying to set up for the next chapter, so please bear with me.

It was a good thing Kaito had such a good Poker Face, else Aoko would see him freaking the hell out.

After waltzing into his house and accosting him, Aoko decided to stay and cook dinner. Normally, this is fine –expected even. But today? With Tantei-kun there?

Kaito wished he had the Guide power of suggestion. Then he could send her away without being too rude and raising suspicion.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Tantei-kun knew. Kaito saw it in his eyes the moment Aoko introduced herself. He knew of her relation to Nakamori-keibu, lead investigator on Kaitou KID. Kaito saw the small widening of those blue eyes, the slight fall of that small smile. Kaito waited for Tantei-kun to blurt out the truth.

But he never did.

Kaito could hear him screaming for Aoko to _see it_ , but Tantei-kun never even _hinted_ at Kaito and KID being the same.

He was polite to Aoko, answering questions in that annoyingly fake childish tone of his. Tantei-kun set the table as if this was a normal occurrence, even though Aoko knew it was not. _Kaito_ knew it was not. This was the first time Tantei-kun had ever been in his house. He should _not_ know where the silverware is.

Kaito wondered if it was a Sentinel thing.

Which was another reason Kaito wanted Aoko to leave. If Tantei-kun went into a Rage, a Fugue, a Zone of _any sort_ , _his_ secret would be out and Kaito would be left with the choice of exposing himself or shipping Tantei-kun off to the Center. Kaito could convince Aoko that Tantei-kun was a level 1 easily calmed by Kaito’s Guide rank, but he couldn’t say Tantei-kun was Neutral –which is what any child should be.

Kaito’s saving grace was that Tantei-kun seemed to have taken Senes-4 around 2 o’clock pm. The effects of that would last until 10 o’clock for sure, if the dosage was correct… but that led to the question of who gave a _child_ that kind of medication? And didn’t lock him in a Center?

How did Tantei-kun even come online in the first place?

Kaito had always wondered, whenever his mind turned thoughts towards the little detective. It was something he’d wanted to ask, but never got the chance –now was his time.

But he couldn’t with Aoko there.

“-so Aoko suggested the aquarium for the school trip, and Kaito said-!”

“Not happening, Ahoko,” Kaito filled in, perfectly timed. What? He could freak out _and_ listen to conversations. It’s called multi-tasking (and he is awesome at it!).

“But why?” Tantei-kun asked, all innocent face and big eyes. Kaito couldn’t trust a face more adorable than his own… even if he _really_ wanted to (and that face _was_ adorable).

“Because it’s boring,” Kaito cut in before Aoko could reveal his fear of f-f-… his _fear_.

“No,” Tantei-kun shook his head, careful not to spill his small bowl of rice, “Why would Aoko-nee-chan suggest an aquarium? Isn’t Kaito-nii-san scared of fish?”

Kaito froze as Aoko cooed, “Aw! He is! But… how did you know?”

“There’s no fish in the fridge or freezer,” Tantei-kun noted, “There’s also no odor from when fish is cooked, meaning Kaito-nii-san doesn’t normally have it for a meal. On an island country like Japan, that is highly unusual. Therefore, he must not like fish to the point where he can’t even look at it.”

Aoko stared at him as Kaito began to sweat.

Maybe… bringing Tantei-kun home… _wasn’t_ a good idea.

“Oh!” Tantei-kun ducked his head, “But, I guess, he could have had some at your house.”

“My house?” Aoko repeated.

“You two seem close,” Tantei-kun mumbled, “If you’re cooking him dinner and know where all his utensils are. I just thought… he must go to your house too, neh?”

Blue eyes looked up pitifully, searching for confirmation, “Was I wrong?”

“No, you’re right!” Aoko smiled brightly, “Kaito can’t cook anything, so he comes to Aoko’s all the time!”

Tantei-kun smiled brightly, and like that, all her doubts about him being an actual child cleared. Kaito’s did not.

The rest of dinner went smoothly with no other deduction shows from Tantei-kun. After dinner, Kaito made an excuse of Tantei-kun – _Conan-kun’s_ –curfew and waved Aoko off. He locked the front door and turned to find Tantei-kun staring him down.

After a tense moment, Conan asked, “Where am I sleeping?”

“I’ll get the spare futon out,” Kaito said, “you can sleep on my bedroom floor.”

“I can take the couch or something,” Tantei-kun offered.

“I am not letting you out of my sight,” Kaito said firmly. Tantei-kun rolled his eyes. Kaito wrinkled his nose, “And I _don’t_ snore!”

Tantei-kun shot him a look that said ‘How would you know?’ and, okay, point.

“How did you become a Sentinel anyway?” Kaito asked as he pushed past the child, “Children like you should still be neutral. If it was trauma, you should be a Guide, not a Sentinel.”

Those blue eyes hardened as Tantei-kun replied, “If I told you, you'd be involved.”

“With those men,” Kaito guessed.

Tantei-kun didn’t answer, but the guilty feeling Kaito got from him was confirmation enough. The room was quiet as Kaito pulled out the spare futon and carried it over to his room. He could feel Tantei-kun’s eyes on him as Kaito spread out the futon.

“You shouldn’t use her,” Tantei-kun finally said. Kaito stopped in the middle of straightening the covers. “Nakamori-san. You shouldn’t lead her around for your amusement.”

 _Not Aoko-nee-chan?_ Kaito wanted to ask, but he refrained. Instead, he said, “Aoko and I have been friends long before KID’s return. It’s a coincidence that her father is the lead inspector.”

A tense silence followed, then, “When she finds out, she will be upset.”

“She won’t find out,” Kaito said firmly.

“They always do,” was the reply, “She’ll suspect, she’ll test, she’ll want you to tell her, but she’ll never ask. Because she’s afraid of the answer.”

Kaito sat back on his heels, regarding the little detective. He thought, not for the first time, that the boy was far too mature for his age. Kaito stared, watching for tells as he asked, “Are you speaking from experience.”

The boy dropped his gaze to the futon, but didn’t move otherwise. When he did speak, it was a different topic entirely, “Do you have any clothes I can borrow? I don’t want these to get wrinkled if I have to wear them again tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kaito mentally ran through all of the outfits in the house, “Just give me a second.”

He was sure that his mom kept his old stuff in a box in her closet, but that was stuff for a Neutral child, not a Sentinel. Kaito remembered from class that Sentinels needed 100% cotton fabrics –anything else irritated their skin and caused zoning problems. He’s sure none of his old kid stuff would be like that.

Instead, Kaito managed to scrounge up a shirt from middle school. Pure cotton, only worn a few times before he grew out of it. It would be big on Tantei-kun. If nothing else, he could wear it as a night shirt. When he returned with it, Tantei-kun gave it a very unimpressed look.

“Don’t you have anything… smaller?” Tantei-kun winced, like the admission of his own size was physically painful to him.

“I do,” Kaito confirmed, holding the shirt out anyway, “But all that stuff is a blend of cotton and other threads. I know Sentinels can get irritated by blends.”

“I’m fine with it,” Tantei-kun insisted, “I use blends every night.”

It was _Kaito’s_ turn to shoot him an unimpressed look. “Tantei-kun, we both know you are a level 5. Unless you want to end up zoning in the middle of the night, you’re wearing this.”

Tantei-kun grumbled, but snatched the shirt out of Kaito’s hands. Kaito got a brief flicker of _it won’t make a difference_ before Tantei-kun padded out of the room. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“Ah, second door on the right,” Kaito answered, “Towels are in the cupboard.”

“Thank you,” Tantei-kun said as he disappeared inside.

“Ah!” Kaito called after him, “Do you need help?”

“ _No_ ,” Tantei-kun said firmly before the door slammed shut.

Well then…

The futon was all laid out and Tantei-kun was in the bath. Kaito… supposed he could his homework which was due on Monday, free up some time for the weekend. Five minutes later, his work was done and he was bored again. Maybe he could join Tantei-kun in the bath? It wasn’t like they had different parts or anything.

Kaito was only _mildly_ concerned that Tantei-kun would fire one of his soccer balls at him for attempting that trail of thought.

He also didn’t have long to linger on that train. Not a second after he thought of it, Tantei-kun was opening the door, toweling dry his hair. The shirt was long, like Kaito thought, adorably swamping Tantei-kun and managing to hang crookedly off one shoulder.

“Bathroom’s free, thief,” Tantei-kun said, taking his glasses from his teeth to slide them back onto his face. Did he _sleep_ with those things on?

“How rude!” Kaito huffed as he sauntered past the boy, “Calling me a thief in my own home! How insulting!”

“It’s not an insult if it’s true!” little Tantei-kun called back. Kaito laughed to himself as he closed the door behind him.

The bathroom hadn’t even fogged up from Tantei-kun’s bath. The tub didn’t look used either. The boy most likely stripped, showered, and dressed as quickly as he could, uncomfortable in a new place. Kaito could still feel his unease from the other room, pouring out in steady, trailing waves.

Mentally reinforcing his shield, Kaito stripped and washed. He looked at the bath, wanting to do his usual soak, but he couldn’t help the criminal in him that said to not leave the detective alone in his room. So instead, he showered off and dressed in the clothes he always left in the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and rinsed, then exited the bathroom, shivering against the slight chill in the air.

“What are you studying?” Tantei-kun asked from where he’d perched on Kaito’s chair.

“Multi-polynomial Algebra,” Kaito said dismissively, “You wouldn’t understand it.”

Tantei-kun scoffed and dropped the homework pages back onto the desk, “It’s just like singular polynomial algebra, just with more steps.”

How did Tantei-kun know polynomial algebra? Did his parents have him an advanced cram school? But, no, he lived at the Mouri residence, Kaito knew that much. So then where…?

“I’m going to bed,” Tantei-kun announced, hopping down from the chair.

“Now?” Kaito whined, looking at the clock, “It’s only seven!”

“And I’ll get three hours of sleep before my medication wears off,” Tantei-kun countered as he climbed into bed. He shot Kaito a perky smile, “Besides, nii-san, children need lots of sleep!”

 _Child my ass!_ Kaito grumbled, but turned off the overhead light, leaving his desk as the only light source. He climbed into bed and looked down at the child, “You situated?”

“Un,” The child said, closing up his glasses and setting them to the side.

Kaito turned off the light.

…

And stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

It was only seven. Kaito was normally awake until midnight or later, planning heists, creating magic tricks, perfecting his art. What’s more, he didn’t have his usual soak, so his muscles were all tensed, awake and ready to go instead of relaxed and ready to sleep. He frowned and sighed. How was he supposed to sleep like this?

“Hey,” Tantei-kun called, making Kaito blink and look over. He was met with the sight of Tantei-kun’s back, shoulders drawn up under the covers. “Why do you do it? Why do you go out as Kaitou KID? You have a good life, a good home, a good... _her_. So why…?”

Kaito wondered if he should tell. He wondered if, should he tell, Tantei-kun would agree with him, _side_ with him, or if he’d try all the more to get Kaito to stop. Kaito wondered… but Tantei-kun had secrets of his own.

So Kaito didn’t say.

“I don’t want you to get involved,” Kaito said simply, “That’s all you need to know.”

Tantei-kun didn’t say anything, but Kaito could feel the silent confirmation and acceptance of Kaito’s unwillingness to speak. Silence fell again, broke only by the occasional car driving by or stray cat fight. Eventually, Kaito found sleep at the end of what might have been the longest and most stressful day of his life. Eventually, it came to an end.

Right up until Kaito woke up at midnight to the most sinister air he’d ever felt outside of a KID heist. It felt like a poisonous cloud pressing down on him in all directions. His heartbeat quickened with flight responses, but he couldn’t tell where the feeling was coming from, not until he looked down.

Down, where Tantei-kun had thrown the covers off.

Down, where Tantei-kun lay sprawled, hands fisting the sheets and his own shirt.

Down, where Tantei-kun was in the throes of a nightmare.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> PS -Last chapter for this fic! Also, the last one that I have written for the SGN universe. Don't worry! I have a couple more ideas, but there will be a short hiatus for this series as I put my thoughts in order. (An actual hiatus this time, not a fake one like last time.)
> 
> Also, I *love* the imagery I wrote here. Could someone draw it for me? Please? Specifically the last scene of the nightmare. I think it would look so cool!

Kaito bit his lip, unsure of how to proceed. Normally, he’d just wake up Tantei-kun. After all, no one liked being trapped in a nightmare. But that sinister air… it made the hair at the back of his neck stand up. Every fiber of his being warned Kaito to stay back, unless he wanted to get hurt-!

Tantei-kun shoved his face into the pillow and whimpered.

Well, that made deciding easier.

Sliding his legs from his bed, Kaito folded down beside the child, reaching out a hand to shake him awake, “Tantei-kun. Oi, Tantei-!”

The hand nearest Kaito sprang up and latched onto Kaito’s wrist. Blue eyes shot open, but stared unseeingly at the older teen. The sinister air burdened Kaito more, pressing down on his mind as Tantei-kun’s grip tightened.

Whatever this was, it wasn’t a normal zone.

Kaito swallowed thickly.

“Tantei-kun,” Kaito called softly, “Can you hear me?”

No response, mental or otherwise.

“O~kay,” Kaito’s voice cracked as he tried to reclaim his hand. The fingers around his wrist flexed. Had Tantei-kun been any older, Kaito would have called the grip bruising. As it was, Tantei-kun’s hand didn’t fit fully around Kaito’s wrist, so no amount of pressure could cause him pain.

Kaito just… couldn’t escape.

“So, retreat isn’t an option,” Kaito said to himself. He reached his hand forward, pulling Tantei-kun’s arm with him, “Let’s try advancing.”

Aligning his thumb with Tantei-kun’s temple, Kaito splayed his fingers across a tiny ear and nestled the tips into soft, dark hair. Tantei-kun twitched, lips parting in a silent breath. His eyes fell half-lidded as the sinister aura stopped pressing down on Kaito.

Kaito had never done this before, but it looked like he was heading in the right direction.

All the research papers he read said something about a landscape between the Guide and the Sentinel, an even playing field so to speak. Kaito closed his eyes and tried to envision some sort of field, a place where their two minds could coexist. He let out a slow breath.

When he opened his eyes, it was to a white void, bright but not blinding, soft as snow but nowhere near as cold. Kaito hazarded a glance down, taking stock of himself. He looked normal –the same pajamas he’d gone to bed in, barefoot as he liked to sleep. Everything seemed to be going okay.

So where was Tantei-kun’s mind?

As if summoned by the thought, a dark cloud formed to Kaito’s right. Where Kaito’s void was bright, this void seemed to suck in light, not letting anything escape. Across some invisible line, nothing came, held back by glistening silver webs.

Kaito reached out with ephemeral hands across the gap. Tantei-kun’s mind was beyond there, massive and dark, held back by only gossamer strands of spider silk.

What would he see, he wondered, when Kaito pressed through those fragile webs? He was inches away, centimeters, his hands growing more and more real in his mind the closer they got. His palm brushed the silken threads.

A pair of sickly pale hands burst through the webs, grasping his wrists in a bruising grip. Inky blackness seeped from the punctured webs into the white landscape. Kaito didn’t have long to react before those hands dragged him forward into the darkness.

The webs stuck to him like itchy burrs, covering his hair and neckline down to his bare feet. Part of him wanted to wipe it off, but another, _louder_ part screamed for him to _not_.

He blinked rapidly against the webs stuck to his eyelashes. Between one blink and the next, Kaito found himself face to face with an older man –silver hair, not-right grin. Nausea not his own bubbled up his throat as he recognized one of the men after Tantei-kun that afternoon. That not-right grin grew wider as Kaito realized those pale hands attached to the man.

They pushed, shoving him backwards, slamming him down onto a hard metal slab –an exam table. The second man from that afternoon came around –square-ish jaw, wide brim hat –and Kaito found his limbs strapped down, unable to move. He tried dislocating his thumbs, but the restraints shrank, taking up the room he’d just freed up.

He was panicking now, nothing Hakuba had told him or his own research on Guides had prepared him for _this_.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ojou-chan, an older version of her. She wore a starch-white lab coat and seemed to be drawing something from a vial into a syringe. She turned to him and Kaito nearly screamed.

Half of her face was the youthful girl Kaito saw accompanying Tantei-kun to heists. The other half was pale, sickly, smiling in a way that caused Kaito’s stomach to turn. The dark look in her eyes made Kaito want to crawl under the table and hide.

“Apotoxin 4869, Subject 1412,” Ojou-chan’s voice sounded _dead_ as it cut through the air. The two men laughed as if it were funny, “Beginning injection.”

Kaito fought against his restraints as that needle came closer. He had no idea what was going on, why Ojou-chan was evil or what was in that vial. He had no idea, but his mind told him if he didn’t get out _right now_ , he would never be able to.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he desperately grabbed for his shield, gathering it up around him as best he could. Behind his eyelids, he saw a flash of light. Instinctively, his eyes snapped open.

Ojou-chan and the two men were gone. In their place, a soccer ball soared through the air and dropped to the ground, punctured on a thin, nearly invisible needle.

A second pair of hands found his wrist. A face floated into his vision. Kaito’s breath caught.

It was him. It was Kaito, but a… warped version.

Neat hair, ice blue eyes, feral set of the jaw –if this was a nightmare version of him, Kaito didn’t know whether to be outraged or flattered. His gut, though, told him it wasn’t Kaito.

Long fingers clawed at Kaito’s restraint, even as the other three snapped open and Kaito felt himself starting to float. The webs interweaving over his body thickened to white cloth as Kaito felt his shield close up around him. White leather enveloped his feet as pristine gloves formed over his hands, further separating him from the world of darkness. Above, the void split open to reveal a white landscape, the same as before.

“No…” a voice whispered.

Kaito looked back, looked down from where his body was floating up, anchored by a single cuff and desperate hand.

The man, him-but-not-him, strained upwards against his own chains –waist, neck, ankles and one wrist. Dull blue eyes looked to Kaito pleadingly. Pale lips parted to beg, “Please… don’t go…”

In that instant, Kaito knew. Those words, that voice, that _tone_ –it was Tantei-kun, from that afternoon, begging Kaito to open the car door, to _save_ him from the men in black.

But it was too late.

The single remaining cuff slipped over Kaito’s hand to settle bindingly against Tantei-kun’s wrist. The man sunk down into the darkness, anchored by the chains that bound him as Kaito floated back to his own mind. Blue eyes stared at him beseechingly before they disappeared into the black void.

Kaito blinked and found himself staring at those eyes again.

He froze.

A few seconds passed.

 Kaito realized that he… wasn’t dreaming anymore. This was his room, his bed, his _Tantei-kun_ –not a lab, not a table, not the man-that-wasn’t-him.

Slowly, his mind recalled how he’d gotten there. Right. Tantei-kun had been in the middle of a nightmare and Kaito, idiot he was, tried to help. Instead, he’d gotten sucked in and ended up on a table by the hands of the two men – _Gin and Vodka_ , his mind supplied –about to be used as a lab rat by Ojou-chan – _Haibara Sherry_ , his mind whispered.

The one who had saved him was Tantei-kun – _Edogawa Conan, Kudou Shinichi_ , his mind corrected. Kaito frowned. He knew Tantei-kun was Edogawa Conan. The boy had introduced himself the first time they’d met.

But why was his mind telling him that Tantei-kun, little six-year-old Tantei-kun was Kudou Shinichi, teen detective? Kaito remembered seeing him in the papers. Kudou was definitely _not_ a six-year-old.

Then why…?

Catching that trail of thought, Kaito pulled, unraveling thoughts, facts, _memories_ that were not his own. Memories of a dark night at an amusement park, of two men in black –not familiar back then. Memories of a pain to the head, of a pill sliding down his throat and fire blistering his skin.

Memories of waking up to a world too loud, too rough, too _big_ to be right.

Kaito’s breath caught in his throat.

That night… that was the night. The night Tantei-kun came online. The night Tantei-kun began to hide. The night Edogawa Conan came to be.

The night Kudou Shinichi, as he was, ceased to exist.

“That long?” Kaito whispered to the vacant eyes staring at him. A tiny ear perked at his voice. It shifted under his hand where his fingertips were still positioned at the base of Tantei-kun’s neck. “You’ve been fighting _that_ alone, all this time?”

There was no answer, but Kaito didn’t expect one from the Fugueing Sentinel. Unable to help himself, Kaito gathered the unresponsive boy up in his arms and held him close. The boy squirmed minutely until his ear pressed against Kaito’s chest, to his heart, then he settled.

When the tears spilled down Kaito’s cheeks, silent as the thief himself, a vague sense of a question brushed against his shield, muffled by the layers between Kaito and everything else.

“I’m not fine,” Kaito confided, “But I will be. And you will be too. I’ll make _sure_ of it.”

An equally vague sense of acknowledgement and Tantei-kun drifted away, mind echoing the tempo of Kaito’s heart as it slowed and quieted with sleep.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito woke up and there was _not_ a tiny child in his arms.

“Your sleeping posture is terrible,” Tantei-kun noted from the bedroom door. Tantei-kun didn’t… _look_ like he was still mid-Fugue. In fact, Tantei-kun had already dressed for the day and had a mug of something hot in his hands.

Kaito had a sneaking suspicion it was coffee, despite the fact his house didn’t _have_ coffee.

“What can I say?” Kaito asked, sitting up and running a hand through his hair, “When a handsome guy cries out in his sleep, I can’t help but want to embrace him.”

And, well, _maybe_ he was laying it on too think.

Kaito couldn’t help it! His default reaction to nerves was to flirt!

“Be careful,” Tantei-kun warned, “Any other comments like that and I’ll assume you’re a pedophile.”

Kaito cocked his head to the side, giving Tantei-kun a calculating look, “Is it pedophilia when you aren’t really six?”

Tantei-kun froze mid-sip. His gem-like eyes went wide behind his glasses –filled with fear. Despite that, his voice was strong, aggressive, “How do you know that?”

“You went into a Fugue,” Kaito explained quietly, “You had a nightmare last night-!”

“That doesn’t give you permission to root through my mind!” the boy snapped, grip bone-white on his mug.

“I was trying to help!” Kaito defended, angry now, “I’m a Guide! It’s what I-!”

“And I’m a Sentinel! I’m supposed to protect!” Tantei-kun countered sharply, “Does it _look_ like I can protect _anyone_?!”

Kaito quieted, watching as Tantei-kun heaved, shoulders shaking. Tantei-kun was on the verge of something. Whether it was a Rage or a panic attack, Kaito didn’t know. Neither was good.

“You are protecting,” Kaito said when Tantei-kun’s breathing had calmed. “You are protecting Ojou-chan –Haibara –from the dangers of her past. You are protecting Onee-chan –Ran –from the secrets of the present. You even tried protecting me from the facts the future held. You are protecting.”

“Yeah, well… I’m not doing a good job,” Tantei-kun muttered into his drink.

“Sometimes, the protectors need protecting,” Kaito said, climbing to his feet. “That’s what Guides are for.”

He put a hand on Tantei-kun’s shoulder as the two shared a significant look.

“Now,” Kaito frowned down at the mug in Tantei-kun’s hand, “Where in the _world_ did you find coffee?”

“Nakamori-san is really nice,” Tantei-kun commented into his coffee, “She doesn’t ask questions.”

Of course. Kaito should have known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said up top, that's all I have for now. I'll work on some more chapters and get some more things down, but it may take a few months. 
> 
> In the meantime, I will be working on my other series 'Not My Double Life' and 'Last Day Again'.
> 
> Some of you have commented on how quickly I get stuff out. It's not that I get it out quickly, it's that I have a majority of it sitting on my computer, waiting to be edited and posted. So when I run out of things to read (like now), I post my own work. 
> 
> I can't guarantee that I will always maintain such a heavy posting schedule. I used to only update once a week. Sometimes I went for weeks without posting anything. It depends entirely on how much I have saved up and what fandoms I am currently interested in.
> 
> Also, some people have asked: YES, YOU CAN WRITE IN THIS AU. I don't own it, nor do I have a claim to fame with it. If you get an idea, write it. I'm always looking for new inspiration and more reading material. :) If you really feel a need, you can always put my name in the 'inspired by' field of your work, but it's not necessary.
> 
> Anyway, Author's Note over, please enjoy my other fics as you wait for this series to continue!

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to say "Good job!" or "Update soon!" just leave a Kudo (or a Kaito ;) ).
> 
> If you have some constructive criticism, please leave a comment in the box below. I am always trying to better my writing skills, so please let me know if something I write needs work.


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